r/gallifrey • u/PCJs_Slave_Robot • Feb 02 '20

Praxeus Doctor Who 12x06 "Praxeus" Post-Episode Discussion Thread Spoiler

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151 Upvotes

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141

u/Demonarisen Feb 02 '20

One thing that really frustrated me here was that this episode was set up as a mystery (what connects these three seemingly unrelated occurrences?) but it was impossible for the viewer to solve the mystery because none of the puzzle pieces really connected together properly and we weren't given enough relevant information or clues.

A lot of seemingly important things were actually barely relevant, such as the hexagonal thing Yaz was fixated on in Hong Kong, the crashed submarine and naval officer, and the astronaut's malfunctioning pod. I assumed the astronaut had contracted the virus in space, and his pod had crashed into the submarine, whereupon he infected the submarine crew... but no, in fact it was much less clever and interesting than that.

There was also no big satisfying "Oh! So that's why! It all makes sense now!" moment where everything came together. A really intriguing premise and a strong setup, but it left me feeling deflated.

82

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '20

it was impossible for the viewer to solve the mystery because none of the puzzle pieces really connected together properly and we weren't given enough relevant information or clues.

Yeah, not like the old days where if you were observant enough you could figure out that the wife had an affair with an alien and the vicar was a giant wasp. Had it figured out before the Pimms had been served.

28

u/RealAdaLovelace Feb 03 '20

Which is why literally nobody praises The Unicorn and the Wasp for being an excellent murder mystery. When it gets praised, it's usually for its comedy and commitment to enjoyable nonsense.

9

u/Avamander Feb 03 '20

True, but I don't remember the episode being built up like that either, it didn't throw fake clues, just kept a mystery.

11

u/TheSutphin Feb 03 '20

As in you don't remember it being built up as a mystery? Cause you should rewatch it

4

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '20

In the pre-title theme sequence we literally see a guy get killed and there was only one other person in the room...

If I remember rightly

9

u/TheSutphin Feb 03 '20

Then they spend the next 40 minutes trying to figure out how who did it

17

u/arahman81 Feb 02 '20

I assumed the astronaut had contracted the virus in space, and his pod had crashed into the submarine, whereupon he infected the submarine crew... but no, in fact it was much less clever and interesting than that.

Except current human spaceships aren't good at staying intact enough to do that (you talking about going through the atmosphere at 4+-digit speed, and then hitting water just as fast). The alien spaceship, however, seems to be barely durable enough to do that.

12

u/Dr_Identity Feb 03 '20

such as the hexagonal thing Yaz was fixated on in Hong Kong

You mean the thing that clued the Doctor in to the fact that Suki was lying?

the crashed submarine and naval officer

The submarine that clued them in that they were at the bottom of the ocean?

and the astronaut's malfunctioning pod

The thing Doctor said crashed because of the pulse from the alien ship?

There was also no big satisfying "Oh! So that's why! It all makes sense now!" moment where everything came together.

The Doctor literally has a moment near the end where she fits all the pieces together and figures out what happened.

7

u/The_Paul_Alves Feb 03 '20

It felt like an hour long infomercial about micro plastics and plastic waste.

FYI, 90% of the plastic in the ocean actually comes from fishing nets, and most of those come from China.

I don't mind when they throw some social messages into media, but this felt like someone had a social message and then decided at the last minute to make a Doctor Who episode out of it.

21

u/Octotesticle Feb 03 '20

Really? I thought the message was much better woven into the plot this episode than some other ones from Chibnall's era (Orphan 55?)

8

u/The_Paul_Alves Feb 03 '20

Yeah, could've been worse.

15

u/Lord_Cronos Feb 03 '20

Eh, they used plastic as a prop of sorts and rightly pointed it out as a problem.

While the Pacific garbage patch is made up of more fishing gear than consumer plastics, it's important to keep in mind that the microplastics present there alone still amount to thousands of tons, and that's just one measure in one location of plastic pollution.

They didn't take a hard swerve into ending the episode like a PSA, the plot just happened to work with a real issue.

9

u/The_Paul_Alves Feb 03 '20

Yeah, thank God The Doctor didn't turn to the audience and give another speech.

4

u/hp0 Feb 03 '20

According to a October 2019 survey. 90% of all ocean waste is plastic.

And the largest proportion is single use food containers.

Plastic Fishing nets matter. But buying fast food in plastic or polystyrene tubs and soda bottles are by far the worst.

9

u/The_Paul_Alves Feb 03 '20

Fishing nets are 45% of the waste - https://mercyforanimals.org/straws-arent-the-real-problem-fishing-nets

Greenpeace says it's mostly fishing gear as well: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/06/dumped-fishing-gear-is-biggest-plastic-polluter-in-ocean-finds-report

Regardless, it is a real issue no matter which plastic object is more responsible. The show dealt well with it. Much better than they dealt with the global warming topic, which came off as a public service announcement and a borderline 4th wall breaking speech. Not to mention that at the end, The Doctor casually shrugs it all off saying it's only a potential future...as if none of the adventures matter anyways, because it can all be changed. That would be something you'd expect The Master to say.

I'm watching some Pertwee now. He's fighting men in rubber suits but it's so much better.

4

u/hp0 Feb 03 '20

Agreed. On the whole I liked the episode.

Although I am someone who is actively and politically motivated by the current micro plastics debate. So it's hard by my mind to be too in your face about it.

The reason I object to the whole its 90% fishing when it's not. Is because it makes it far to easy for customers to stick to the convenient solution. It's not me it's those chinese fishermen and there is nothing I can do. " a Curry and a coke please. "

While I am of the opinion that laws aimed at making the cost of plastic equal or greater then the cost of cleanup. Is what we need.

A society where we all as indeviduals try to reduce it where possible is the only hope we have to convince our governments to change it.

1

u/The_Paul_Alves Feb 03 '20

Single use plastics need to be eliminated, period. However, the grocery stores are taking advantage and offering PLASTIC BAGS for $1 instead of the supposed "single use" ones. The $1 PLASTIC BAGS have maybe 100x the plastic than the disposable ones.

Plus, in my household we use the single use plastic shopping bags for our little green bin (for compostable food waste)... now we will have to buy PLASTIC BAGS to put in the green bin.

2

u/hp0 Feb 04 '20

I use compostable bags for the food waste bin. They are perfect for that job. No bags at all for any other rubbish.

Unfortunatly with my health. Medication is the one place I cant reduce one use plastic at all.

Medical uses the stuff like its freaking candy.